The San Francisco 49ers surprised everyone in trading for running back Brian Robinson with the Washington Commanders. Although, given the injury woes that have hit the 49ers, it shouldn't come as a surprise. Especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Over the last few weeks, we've talked a lot about the injuries to the wide receivers. But the running back position is no different. Second-year back Isaac Guerendo is back after suffering a shoulder injury early in training camp. Rookie Jordan James is still dealing with a broken finger he suffered earlier this month. And Patrick Taylor and Corey Kiner are both on injured reserve.
And let's not forget that Christian McCaffrey is coming back this season after a injury-riddled 2024 season. He missed all but four games last year. McCaffrey has had issues with injuries in the past. When he was with the Carolina Panthers, he was placed on injured reserve in both 2020 and 2021.
Brian Robinson trade will help 49ers if Christian McCaffrey gets injured again
During that time, he was only available for 10 games. McCaffrey's impact is a driving force for a lot of the team's success, the 49ers need to have — for a lack of a better term — insurance policies.
Enter Brian Robinson. In each of the last three seasons, he's put up at least 700 rushing yards. And although he's a lot more of a power running back, he still has some versatility to his game to help in the passing game.
Over the past two seasons, he's caught 56 passes for 527 yards and four touchdowns. His best year was in 2023, when he had 36 catches for 368 yards and four touchdowns.
If - and hopefully it doesn't happen again - Christian McCaffrey gets hurt, Brian Robinson will have to step in to carry a lot of the load. It's the same scenario the 49ers found themselves in last year when they had to lean on Jordan Mason. In the 12 games he played for San Francisco, Mason led the team in rushing with 789 yards for three touchdowns on 153 carries. he also averaged an impressive 5.2 yards per carry.
Robinson is more than capable of matching the level of production Mason put together last season. Especially with the fact that he will likely get more of a work load early in the season with the injuries across the offense.
The start to the season will ikely be a test for head coach Kyle Shanahan and his play-calling. But the 49ers went out and got Robinson for a reason. It is important to remember that San Francisco was interested in Robinson during the 2022 NFL Draft process, even hosting him for a pre-draft visit. Now, the 49ers have the fourth-year back, and we'll see what he can do in the unfortunate circumstance McCaffrey might be out again.